1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a connector assembly of the type suitable for connecting a multiconductor cable to a plurality of circuits in an electrical component and more particularly relates to a connector assembly consisting of a header mounted on the outer portion of the component having a plurality of pins commoned to a printed circuit board and to a matable connector assembly consisting of electrical connectors attached to the conductors in the multiconductor cable and a receptacle module engagable with the header. In particular, this invention relates to a connector assembly in which the components can be blind mated to the cable, for example an assembly in which an electrical component, such as a dash mounted, radio, could be blind mated to an electrical harness located behind the carrier panel in the dash of an automobile.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Electrical components, such as radios, are normally hand assembled into the dash or other components of an automobile. An electrical harness mounted behind panels in the automobile having electrical connectors at appropriate locations is normally positioned in the automobile. When the separate components, such as the radio, are to be attached to the harness, the separate connectors at the end of the harness are conventionally inserted into mating connectos or headers on the rear of the component, and the component is then mounted to a panel or to the frame in the automobile. This operation will, of course, require slack to permit hand assembly of the connectors at the rear of the component prior to mounting and can be quite labor intensive.
One conventional radio assembly used in automobiles and shown in the prior art drawing of FIG. 1 employs a molded insulated connector or header mounted to a printed circuit board on the exterior of a radio case. The exterior printed circuit board is, in turn, connected to a printed circuit board on the interior of the case through a separate ribbon cable. This assembly does not permit a simple blind mate operation for electrically interconnecting the radio to the wire harness as the radio is mounted in the dash.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,418,975 does disclose a slid-in dash mounted radio which can be attached to a plurality of electrical connectors at one location for interconnection to remotely located components such as an electrical power source in the engine compartment and speakers at various locations in the passenger compartment. The assembly shown in that patent has a plurality of connectors arranged and located at the side of a receptacle for receiving the radio case. A terminal block, located on the side of the radio case, engages these connectors when the radio is inserted into a recess on the automobile dash.